Halfway Through My Heart

Prologue

"My tent got flooded by the rain but yours seems dry, so I guess we're sharing a tent tonight."
The loud grumbling of the sky and the spontaneous sound of the heavy rain failed to drown the words that came out from the mouth of that boy that you had least expected would come asking for help. And more than that you would rather have a wild boar sleep in your tent than him.
How did it come to this? You were busy calculating the sins you have committed throughout your life. While you were busy weighing your options the shivering voice called out, "Yah! Are you really thinking right now? In this situation? Do you really want me to die in this downpour?"
You wished you could but you were too decent of a human being; you made space for him to come in with the small luggage he managed to bring out in time.
You looked at his trembling body with what people would depict as a disgusted look but to be exact you were just disappointed and kinda annoyed.
But as mentioned earlier, you were too decent of a human being, so bringing out an extra towel out of your haversack you handed out to his busy-being-an-aftershower-dog self, "Yah! Jung Hoseok! Stop splashing water everywhere, you idiot! Here take this towel! Dry yourself quickly and change into whatever clothes you brought!"
Surprised by the sudden generosity Hoseok looked at you and then at your hand holding the towel with a can't-believe-it smile.
"What is happening? The cold y/n y/l/n is melting? What am I seeing?"
Embarrassed and annoyed by his teasing you turned around and began to put the towel back in its place, "Whether I am melting or not that can be your next assignment but right now I think you should be more concerned about something else, like not freezing to death!"
And as if nodding to you a wave of cold air hit your tent and Hoseok jumped to snatch that towel from you resulting in him toppling you over. Both of you looked into each other's eyes and you thought, "Why isn't he getting up?" Then you asked yourself, "Why am I not pushing him away?"
A cold drop of water fell from his hair on your forehead bringing you into reality and you practically shoved him away shouting, "Yah! This isn't some kdrama! Geez! Why didn't you move?"
"My brain froze, okay? Along with my body! All because you took away the towel!" He shouted back.
You let out a sigh and gave him the towel, "Okay okay! I get it! Here take it."
He took the towel and turned around while drying his hair. After a few seconds of grumbling that he should have brought a hair dryer with him he began to change undress himself.
You scoffed mumbling, "Yeah! As well have brought the entire washroom with you to camping!"
"Hey! I heard that!" He exclaimed turning to you.
You turned around to face him and retorted, "I said so that you could hear me!"
He was going to counter you when your eyes shifted from his face to his almost bare chest visible through his half unbuttoned shirt.
Hoseok's gaze followed yours and a smirk took place on his lips, "What? Do you wanna see Hoseok's hot body?"
That was totally not the reason you were looking at his chest and his remark brought out the disgusted expression you often held back from expressing, "Ew! I am in no way interested in that pale rib cage cover!"
"Whoa!" Hoseok gasped dramatically. He was going to say something back instead he wrapped the shirt closer to his chest, covering it, and then said while turning around, "I am not interested in showing you either! Can you please go outside? It's awkward to change while a girl is there."
Surprised? No, it was utter disbelief for you. You couldn't believe the level of stupidity or ignorance you had to come across in one day.
"Yeah! Sure! I'll wait for you outside in the rain while you comfortably change your attire, your majesty." You smiled at him.
Hoseok stuttered before replying and realised his mistake, "Okay okay! I get it. I am sorry. I'll just change here. BUT don't peek! Okay?"
"As if!" You scoffed. "You made my shirt wet too! So don't you dare peek!"
After changing into dry clothes you put a scarf in the middle of the tent floor and prepared your sleeping bag to sleep. While doing so you noticed Hoseok watching you doing everything with big puppy eyes and a pout permanent on his lips.
You looked at him questioningly and raised one eyebrow.
The pout on his lips became even more distinct as if he was on the verge of crying.
You almost found him cute but you were concerned more. The last thing you wanted in this cold rainstorm was to babysit a crybaby.
You were going to ask him what was the matter but he replied before you could ask, "I couldn't grab my sleeping bag from the tent! What will I do now?" Tears were almost ready to fall from his eyes as he looked at you helplessly.
You sighed. You hated it. You were almost as helpless as him when it comes to someone crying in front of you so you sighed, again, and asked, "What do you mean by you couldn't grab your sleeping bag from the tent? Your stuff sack wasn't attached to your haversack?"
This time the sigh was his, "I did! But as soon as I completed setting up my camp I unpacked it... to sleep.."
You facepalmed and after a second's pause you asked, "What's in it for me if I help you out?"
"Really? You'll help me out? But how?" Hoseok's eyes became big in disbelief.
You smiled smugly and said, "First, answer to my question!"
"A-anything you want!"
"Is that a promise?"
"Yes! An iron promise!"
"That's more like it. I'll keep that promise in the attic now and use it when later."
Saying that you reached out to your big haversack and brought out another sleeping bag.
It was a FIFA winning moment for Hoseok. He took the sleeping bag and held it as of it was his baby.
"Yah! Yah! Stop being so dramatic! It's just a sleeping bag!" Your disgusted face had made a comeback.
"You wouldn't understand! I am saved! It's literally freezing in here!" Hoseok shivered.
"It's not that bad." You rolled your eyes.

After you both settled in your respective mummy sleeping bags Hoseok asked, "Why did you bring two sleeping bags?"
If it was any other time, outside this mountain forest, you would have surely been annoyed at him without a particular reason and retorted something gibberish instead of answering him. But tonight, as if the storm had calmed you down, it was different. But not so much as to totally turn you into a softie towards him.
You replied, "So that I don't have to see idiots like you cry in the rain!"
Hoseok pouted, "Hey! How would I know it would come down to this?"
"Why do you pout so much?"
"I don't have any control over it, okay? What can I do if I am cute?"
"Yeah right! Jung Hoseok, the cutie! What a joke!"
"Before you get distracted and begin to diss me more, tell me why did you bring two sleeping bags! I am curious."
You sighed and after wiggling a little bit in your bag you replied, "Well, initially it was because I was sceptical of the chilly weather up here so I wanted some extra heat. But also because since many of my batchmates are new to camping so I thought someone might need it. So I was willing to give it to them. I just didn't expect it to be you!"
"Just my bad luck I guess." Hoseok said.
"Bad luck? Come on! I already warned you when you were setting your tent in that ditch that you are gonna get in trouble if it rains!"
"How am I supposed to know that it's gonna rain when the weather report clearly said the opposite! Plus how would I have known that it will storm this hard in spring?"
"Yeah! That's why you are an idiot! When you are going camping you should always be prepared for the worst! And the very least you could do is not set up your tent in a low area!" You grumbled.
"Yeah yeah mom! I am sorry! But now that I am full and warm my sleep cells are fully charged. So good night. Have sweet dreams!" Hoseok wiggled in his bag while complaining about how one can sleep in a mummy sleeping bag.

You stared at the ceiling of your tent and your mind asked you the same question that it did after first seeing Hoseok outside your tent.
How did it come to this?